Request for Proposals: Supply of Electric Pressure Cookers
The MECS research programme has now reached the point where utilities are interested in eCooking. Umeme, the largest electrical utility in Uganda, and key partners including MECS, are conducting an electric pressure cooker (EPC) pilot project which will involve the purchase and distribution of 1,500 EPCs to households in Uganda. The aim is to enable the utility to become a successful distributor of eCooking devices, utilising its unique resources and presence on the ground. This represents the first move towards integrating eCooking into modern energy planning and enabling utility-led financing for eCooking.
Umeme is inviting EPC suppliers to provide EPCs for the project and in so doing potentially become key players in the Ugandan eCooking landscape. The request for proposals (and EPC technical specification) is located at https://www.umeme.co.ug/tenders.
Umeme Limited is Uganda’s main electricity distribution Company listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange and the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The Company operates a 20-year Electricity Distribution Concession effective 1st March 2005, from the Government of Uganda.
Uganda’s installed generation capacity now stands at 1,401 MW, according to data from the Electricity Regulatory Authority. However, 95% of Ugandan households rely on charcoal, wood, or other forms of biomass for their household cooking needs. Controlled cooking tests conducted by The Centre for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC) and MECS in Uganda have shown that EPCs can reduce cooking fuel costs by up to 50% compared to charcoal and can be used to cook 80% of the typical
Ugandan menu.
The enabling environment for electric cooking in Uganda is strengthening, with EPCs promoted in the recent Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) Draft National Energy Policy, the introduction of a cooking tariff, and the current development of a National E-Cooking Strategy.
Umeme and key partners including Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS), are conducting an EPC pilot project which will involve the purchase and distribution of 1,500 Electric Pressure Cookers to households (1,350 of these will be 6 litres and 150 will be 10 litres).
The Electric Pressure Cooker (EPC) Samples from interested suppliers will undergo testing at the Centre for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC) against technical specifications that can be obtained from the Umeme Website or sending an email request to procurementbids@umeme.co.ug before commercial bids can be concluded.
Umeme Limited invites eligible suppliers with the requisite experience and capabilities to submit samples of both 6 and 10 litre EPCs alongside sealed commercial Bids in response to this RFP.
Submissions must be delivered to the address below at or before 4:00pm 21st March 2023 to the attention of: Head of Supply Chain, Umeme Limited, 3rd Street Industrial Area, Lugogo, P.O Box 23841, Kampala, Uganda,Tel: +256 312 360 600, Email: procurementbids@umeme.co.ug.
To learn more and apply, click here.
